A Chinatown institution forges a path forward with an ancient tradition

// custom header art window.tgam.meta.photo_desktop = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/IGBCSYSJHFATLPQYBYH5Z6Y64I.JPG?auth=94c5eb718070542b983f5b19ae30dd69fd247d142f4e25aa97f982026e3cc25e&width=2000&quality=80"; window.tgam.meta.photo_mobile = "https://www.theglobeandmail.com/resizer/v2/IGBCSYSJHFATLPQYBYH5Z6Y64I.JPG?auth=94c5eb718070542b983f5b19ae30dd69fd247d142f4e25aa97f982026e3cc25e&width=1280&quality=80"; window.tgam.meta.video = ""; window.tgam.meta.caption = "Hong Luck Kung Fu Club member Danny Teng bows with incense as Sam Dang (left) and Sachiko Zelene look on during a lion head retirement ceremony in Pelham, Ont., on Oct. 20, 2024."; window.tgam.meta.credit = ""; // custom header layout parameters window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay = false; window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_vertical_position = "top"; // top, centre, bottom window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_horizontal_position = "left"; // left, centre, right window.tgam.meta.headline_overlay_gradient = true; window.tgam.meta.two_column = false; window.tgam.meta.swap_column = false; window.tgam.meta.full_width = false; window.tgam.meta.dark_background = true; window.tgam.meta.dark_background_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.centre_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.large_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.sans_headline = false; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour = ""; window.tgam.meta.label_text_colour_overlay = "" ; window.tgam.meta.label_box_colour_overlay = ""; window.tgam.meta.audio_bar = true; // custom header display overrides (optional): window.tgam.meta.display_head = "A rekindled ritual"; window.tgam.meta.display_deck = ""; window.tgam.meta.label = "Photo essay"; window.tgam.meta.byline = "Writing and photography by Allen Agostino"; window.tgam.meta.byline2 = ""; window.tgam.meta.creditline = "The Globe and Mail"; On a recent weekend, members of the Hong Luck Kung Fu Club travelled to Pelham, Ont., to perform a lion-head retirement ceremony, setting ablaze 10 aging lion heads, which are used for lion dancing. Typically, two dancers perform together; one is the tail and the other manipulates the head. Traditionally, a lion dance was a way for kung fu clubs to demonstrate their members’ strength and martial arts forms.